Anil Kumble steps down as Team India Coach, quits after one year

Hours after the news broke that Anil Kumble will not travel with the Indian cricket team to West Indies in order to take part in the ICC meeting, the former Indian skipper has decided to step down from the post after holding it for one year.

Hours after the news broke that Anil Kumble will not travel with the Indian cricket team to West Indies in order to take part in the ICC meeting, the former Indian skipper has decided to step down from the post after holding it for one year, reported India Today. The announcement came just one day after it was reported that skipper Virat Kohli has conveyed “strong reservations” over Kumble continuing as the coach to the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, the real reason behind Anil Kumble’s resignation is yet to be known.

Last month the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India had asked for applications for the new coach but also sent Kumble’s entry for it. The task of selecting the new coach was given to the three-member CAC, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. However, they were given an option to retain the incumbent legendary leg-spinner for the post.

Last year, BCCI acting President C K Khanna wrote a letter to the acting secretary after which it seemed that Anil Kumble might be retained as the Team India coach. In his letter, Khanna urged the BCCI secretary to defer the recruitment process until the end of the West Indies tour. Back then, it was speculated that even the high-profile Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, is in favour of retaining their longtime former India teammate.

Anil Kumble was scheduled to take part in ICC Annual Conference which will take place until June 23. “Yes, chief coach Anil Kumble is staying back for the ICC Meeting. The team is flying off to Barbados today,” a team source had told news agency ANI earlier in the day. The Indian cricket team is set to play five ODIs and a T20 in West Indies from June 23.

After Anil Kumble’s resignation, the spotlight is now on Virender Sehwag who becomes a front-runner for the job. The former Indian opener is one of the high-profile names to apply for the job along with the former Australian fast bowler Tom Moody.